Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-03-24
ASTONISHED BEARS.
A Hunter Comes Upon Four of Them Standing
in Row and Kills Them All.

on the "a OF oDEudry, unere SeeIuS W DC
no doubt that the bear has no intention
of breaking the record, writes a. Pine
Creek, Pa, correspondent of the New
York Sun, for he is carefully making his
presence felt on the surface, at least in
this part of the wilds of Pennsylvania,
and John Campbell, a veteran woodsman
of Pine Greek, and Ben Tomb, Jr., and
Jake Tomb, bark jobbers, can vouch for
the fact.
A few days ago there came rumer
from the mountains that number of
wild turkeys were wintering up along the
creek in an insulated spot, and John
Campbell started out to see what there
might be in the rumor. He had tramped
about nearly all day in the region where
the alleged wild turkeys we're lying low,
but came upon no signs of the big birds.
He finally turned his face homeward, and
as he did so he saw standing on barren
hill. only twenty yards away, no less than
four black bears. Campbell had not ex-
pected to run into menagerie, and the
sight of the four cool and collected mem
bers of the bruin family at first rather
startled him. The bears, however, main
tanned front so unruf1ed and appar-
entity non-combative that the old
NAL steadiness, and he was content to &C
| cept them as substitute for the undis-
| covered and doubtless mythical wild tur-
keys. The bears stood in a row, their
| forms outlined against the sky, and their
eyes fixed In calm contemplation on the
hunter. Campbell was loaded for turkeys
but as a charge that will tumble turkey
in the dust is just as much as the tough
est bear can stand up against, he was as
well fixed for the matter he had in hand
as if he had rammed down the ammuni-
ton for bear in the first place. Camp
bell selected the bear on the upper end of
the row, and sent a charge between its
eyes. The bear stood for moment and
looked as if it would like to have an ex-
PLANTATION of such an unexpected proceed
ing. Campbell thought he had failed in
sending the load where he intended, and
felt some surprise himself, but while ne
was preparing to repeat the dose on the
animal the bear dropped like a stone,
gave kick Or two and was quiet.
It's three companions were evidently
dumbfounded. They did not move from
their tracks, bat looked first at their
PROSTATE comrade, and then at the hunter
Campbell was not used to such conduct
on the part of bears, and believing that
it would only be in the course of short
time when they would come to full
realization of the situation and seek re-
venge he b!azeG away at the bear next to
the dead one, and it tumbled
in its tracks without murmur. The
two remaining bears stood as still as
statues, except that they gazed at one an
other in puzzled sort of way, as if they
were unable to agree upon course of
action. Before they agreed, Campbell
sent load into the third bear on the
line. That one backed away shaking its
head and roaring. 1t backed but few
steps when it fell and did not get up. The
last of the four turned around and watch
ed its mate until the latter dropped. Then
it wheeled around and faced the hunter
again. Campbell shot the fourth one and
killed it almost instantly.
II was disappointed" said Campbell,
when relating the story of this extraordi-
nary bear slaughter. II was hopin' that
least one O. them OF fellers d kind O.
resurrect hisself, SOS he could pitch in
an hev some fun with me, but they was
all as dead as stones. / ortn't to drawed
bead ON 'em SO fine, as 'twasn't givin' 'em
proper show"
Rem Tomb and Jake Tomb mad neither
turkeys nor bear on their minds when
they went into the woods one day last
week. They simply went up Slate run to
look at bark job. Ben's little dog went
along for company, and Ben carried an
ak. The dog ran on ahead of them in the
woods. By and by they heard him bark
ing ,furiously, but shortly his barking was
changed to a series Of yelps that indi-
Gated trouble on his mind The men
hurried to see what the trouble was, and
found it in the shape of an enormous
bear, which the dog had started up and
had evidently been foolished enough to
think that he could get away with. The
bear had waited for the dog to give him
an opportunity to try and satisfy his am
bition, and had then taken the impudent
canine up in its paws, where he was try
ing to compress him into resemblance of
a fiapjack. Fortunately for the dog he
vas too small to permit the bear to get
the squeeze on him, and when the hunters
came up they saw the unusual sight of
bear holding the dog to its breast and
look down at him in evident enjoy
nent of his frightened yeils. The dog
was favorite of his masters and, when
the latter saw his pets predicament
prudence and fear of possible con-
sequence gave way to indignation,
and Ben Tomb rushed upon the
bear and struck it on the head with his
ak. The bear staggered, but quickly re-
covered, and dropped the dog as if it was
red -hot iron. The dog sought the deep
er confines of the woods, and left Ben and
Jake to fight it out with the bear. The
latter had no idea of Sinking any part
of what it thought was its duty in the
matter, and pitched into Ben. The bear
knocked the ak out of his dssailant's hands
with one sweep of his paw, and it fell to
the ground ten feet away. Left then
with nothing to defend himself, Ben
turned and went rapidly in the direction
the dog had taken. The bear followed him,
and caught him before he had gone TWEEN
ty feet. Fortunately Jake Tomb did
not lose his head, and the ak had hardly
struck the ground when the bear had
knocked it before Jake had made dash
for it, picked it up. and fell to work with
it on the bear, which was at the time In
very fair way to make short shift of Ben.
Jake whacked the bear on the back of
the head with the ak and bruin fell to the
ground stunned, taking Ben down with